I reminisce on the stress I caused, it was hellĪnd running from the police, that’s right “I shed tears with my baby sister, over the yearsĪnd even though we had different daddies, the same drama When you come around the block, brothers clown a lotīut please don’t cry, dry your eyes, never let upįorgive, but don’t forget, girl, keep your head upĪnd when he tells you you ain’t nothing, don’t believe himĪnd if he can’t learn to love you, you should leave him I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the rootsĪnd I know they like to beat you down a lot “Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice The fact that it’s so disparate from his most thugged out material is likely its greatest strength if he can get the hardest, toughest gangsters to consider the strength and beauty of black women, maybe the rest of us can, too. Quite possibly the most woke 2Pac song of all time, Pac celebrates blackness, women, and black women, promoting hope and positivity amidst tragic circumstances. “Pump ya fists if ya feel me, holla if ya hear me But with bars like these, he captures the anger and frustration of millions who feel trapped. On tracks like “Holla If You Hear Me,” he terrified pearl-clutching suburbanites with his THUG LIFE tales and his tacit approval of the life of crime.
One of the things that made 2Pac so difficult for mainstream America to comprehend was the mere plurality of his existence. Nine millimeter kickin’ thinkin’ about what the streets do to meĬause they never talk peace in the black community” Shot up or shot down with the bullet that he bought Happiness, living on the streets is a delusionĮven a smooth criminal one day must get caught “You know they got me trapped in this prison of seclusion Here Pac delineates some of the Catch 22s of the Trap. One of the more disturbing developments of the ubiquity of “trap” music is its divorce from its origin - to call a neighborhood “The Trap” is quite literally referencing the systemic oppression that prevents its residents from climbing out of poverty. Prostitute, found slain, and Brenda’s her name, she’s got a baby” It’s paying the rent, so she really can’t complain So now what’s next, there ain’t nothing left to sell She tried to sell crack, but end up getting robbed
No money no babysitter, she couldn’t keep a job Momma can’t help her, but it hurts to hear her callingĬan’t go to her family, they won’t let her stay
“Now the baby’s in the trash heap balling It’s been referenced by countless rappers, though not always so tactfully Rick Ross once bragged on “Tupac’s Back” that “Brenda’s havin’ my baby.” Hmmm.
#2PAC DEAR MAMA STEREOTYPES FREE#
Pac lays out the story in a single verse, with strong active language that paints a vivid picture free of florid detail. This famous story of a 12 year old girl molested by her family, impregnated, turned out and strung out in the street is one of his darkest and most poignant. Lady.From the jump, 2Pac’s rhymes were imbued with complex narratives, humanizing the downtrodden with equal parts empathy and rage.
#2PAC DEAR MAMA STEREOTYPES CRACK#
When I was young me and my mama had beefSeventeen years old kicked out on the streetsThough back at the time, I never thought I'd see her faceAin't a woman alive that could take my mama's placeSuspended from school and scared to go home, I was a foolwith the big boys, breakin all the rulesI shed tears with my baby sisterOver the years we was poorer than the other little kidsAnd even though we had different daddy's, the same dramaWhen things went wrong we'd blame mamaI reminice on the stress I caused, it was hellHuggin on my mama from a jail cellAnd who'd think in elementary?Heeey! I see the penitentiary, one dayAnd runnin from the police, that's rightMama catch me, put a whoopin to my backsideAnd even as a crack fiend, mamaYou always was a black queen, mamaI finally understandfor a woman it ain't easy tryin to raise a manYou always was committedA poor single mother on welfare, tell me how ya did itThere's no way I can pay you backBut the plan is to show you that I understandYou are appreciated